


What Doesn't Kill You

by Tinadapenguin1



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Character Death, Drug Use, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, Police AU, a little fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-04 09:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1774726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinadapenguin1/pseuds/Tinadapenguin1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren has just begun his time as a police officer. His goal is to arrest every single member of the notorious gang, the Titans. But what if it's not as black and white as it seems? Police AU. I will add more characters and couples as the story progresses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to the Academy

Eren looked at himself in the mirror, leaning close, leaning back, tilting his head to the side and after a pause, he repeated the process. It wasn't for reasons of vanity, for Eren Jaeger was not a vain man. He was merely in shock, happy shock, but shock none the less. He had done it. After years of studying and training, he made it into the police academy for the city of Trost. He let his hand glide over the uniform that he had so neatly pressed for his first day. Eren had never been one to bother with perfectly ironing his clothes, but he made for damn sure that his uniform looked perfect. He let his gliding hand stop at the emblem of the brigade he was joining. It was very odd, much different from the ones he saw in the various books about the police that he checked out at the library near his apartment. The emblem looked like two wings that joined together at their tip, but were separated at the top. He smiled, and let his hand fall to his side. He continued marveling at the uniform until he heard rustling in the bathroom.

“Mikasa! C'mon let's go! We're gonna be late!” he barked irritably. There was a moment of silence before the rustling continued. Eren frowned. It was very clear that Mikasa was ignoring him.

“For real! Come on!” he shouted again, dragging out the “on”. He turned and addressed the person who had been sitting on the couch for the entire time.

“She doesn't even wear makeup, so why is she taking so damn long?” he grumbled. The man stopped thumbing through his book and looked up at Eren. He was wearing the same uniform as Eren, with the same emblem on his chest. He looked very different though. While Eren had messy dark brown hair, this man had shoulder length blond hair, which he kept in a half- up style. His skin was paler than Eren's. He simply looked.... softer.

“It can't be helped, Eren. She wants to look her best as well,” the blond said.

“Thanks Armin!” a female voice called from the bathroom. Armin chuckled at Eren's glare and said “Calm down.” Eren took his advice and leaned against the wall. In all honesty, he was a little nervous and any type of delay was, though he wouldn't admit it, putting his nerves at ease. After a few more minutes, Mikasa emerged from the bathroom. Eren looked in her direction. She was also joining the same brigad. Her uniform fit her very well, as if she was always meant to wear it. Then Eren noticed something.

“You cut your hair?” Eren asked. It was obvious that she had, seeing as how her once long flowing black hair was cut near the nape of her neck. The woman nodded.

“It suits you,” Armin said, standing and heading toward the door. Eren looked at her face to see if there was makeup, not registering that the hair cut would be what took up most of the time. He then noticed the red scarf that he had given her many years ago, was not draped around her neck. He smiled at his adoptive sister.

“Finally put that thing away?” he asked with a smirk. He always got onto her for wearing it so often. He had given her the scarf the day his parents were finally awarded custody of her.

“It's in my bag,” she replied bluntly. Eren rolled his eyes, not even bothering to put forth some form of rebuttal. He grabbed the keys that were laying their old entry table. He opened the door and moved to the side so that Armin and Mikasa could exit, before closing and locking the door. They lived in one of the many apartments that were located in downtown Trost. They lived in the area called “Old Trost”. The name fit the appearance, seeing as how the apartments were built in and old style with red bricks. There was no elevator, but thankfully, they lived on the second floor. His neighbor, a retired police officer also happened to be exiting his home.

“Good morning, Mr. Pixis,” the three said in unison. The man looked back and smiled. He was an older man with a bald head and wrinkled face, but he was still a very vibrant man. There were several other older people who lived in the apartment building, many of whom thought it was scandalous that a young woman was living with two men. While they chose to gossip and give the group a judgmental side- eye, it was Pixis who had actually bothered to speak on it. However, he wasn't casting judgment, or calling them all harlots. He merely made a joke, a rather inappropriate joke at that. Pixis looked over their attire and smiled.

“So you all made it into the academy. That, or you all work for the same strip club,” he said. He laughed when Armin's face flared red in embarrassment.

“Maybe you could give us some pointers later,” Eren said, continuing to walk forward.

“Sorry buddy, never was the strippin' type,” Pixis said with another laugh. Eren shook his head with a smile and waved good bye. Once they got to his car, Eren unlocked the doors and opened the passenger door for Mikasa. It was a habit his mother had instilled into him from a very young age. Eren plopped down into the driver's seat and plugged the auxiliary jack into his iPhone. He handed the device to Mikasa. None of them really liked to listen to the radio, so Eren bought an auxiliary cable that could be used in his Nissan Ultima. Mikasa looked through the phone's music library until she reached a song that she deemed a good start for their thirty minute drive to the police department.

When they finally reached their destination, Eren felt his knuckles shaking against the steering wheel. He had gotten nervous again. Mikasa looked over at him.

“Eren, you've got nothing to worry about,” she said. Her voice would have sounded flat and uninterested to anyone else, but Eren could hear the comfort in her voice. He felt a pat on his shoulder.

“You're more than ready,” Armin said reassuringly. Eren took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. With that, he turned off his car. He walked over to the passenger door to open it for Mikasa. She was already outside of the car. Eren couldn't help but smile. Or rather, he was forcing himself to do anything that could quell the shaking in his legs. The trio walked into the building. They walked through the glass double doors and stood in awe. They had never been in this building since the training and the entry exam had been in a completely different part of town. The building looked much bigger than the outside made it seem. There was a large hall, which was akin to a front desk at a ritzy hotel. The floor was a pale green and looked to be marble. There were various people walking around the large hall. Eren could see other uniformed officers, though the uniforms looked different. It was only a slight difference, but Eren noticed it. The emblem was a unicorn (Eren never understood why this group had chosen a unicorn out of all things...) as opposed to the wings on his own uniform. They were the narcotics division, though most people just called them “The MP”. It seemed that all of the officers in uniform that were walking around the hall were a part of The MP. Eren took a deep breath and headed toward what looked like a front desk. The bottom was a deep brown wood that had a light colored marble desk. There was a woman sitting behind the counter which had a phone, a computer and various papers cluttering the desk. The woman had shoulder length curly hair. She was filing her nails when Eren reached the desk. She looked up at him, but said nothing, the nail file hovering over her now unattended nails. Eren cleared his throat.

“Uhm... Ma'am, could you-”

“Hitch. My name is Hitch. Don't call me ma'am,” the woman interrupted. Eren was taken aback by the interruption but continued. “Uh, Hitch. Could you tell me where we need to go.... oh uh, we're uhm...” Eren felt himself getting nervous.

“We're a part of the Recon Brigade,” Mikasa said.

“It's our first day,” Armin chimed in. Hitch smirked and leaned back in her seat.

“Ah, so there's more of ya?” Hitch cooed with her head tilted back. She gave a few laughs. “Just how many of you morons are there?” Eren could feel his lip twitch in agitation. He was trying to hold his tongue, but he felt a slew retaliation building up. Just as he opened his mouth to let said retaliations loose, another voice chimed in.

“Hitch! This is the third time today I've seen you doing that, cut it out,” a male's voice scolded. The speaker came into view, walking around the desk. The man looked relatively tall, taller than Eren at the very least. His hair looked like it was a bowl cut, coupled with an undercut. He too was wearing an MP uniform.

“Ah, c'mon Marlo. You know it's true,” Hitch said, swiveling in her chair to face him. “What idiot willing signs up to deal with the Titans?” Eren felt his lip twitch and his hands clench at the mere mention of the word. The Titans were a notorious gang within Trost and other neighboring cities. They were organized like a mafia and more violent than any gang Eren had ever heard of. For the first year or so of their existence, the Titans seemed to only be in the drug ring. However, after a major drug bust, it was revealed that the Titans were involved with human trafficking, drugs, and, for lack of better words, murder for hire. That wasn't even the worst of it. Occasionally, there would be evidence to prove that the Titans had eaten some of their victims. It was disgusting. Eren had a personal vendetta against them. The Titans were a big problem in his hometown. It was the Titans who had brutally murdered Mikasa's parents when she was a child. She would have been sold into slavery if Eren's father hadn't been heading up there to meet the Ackerman's. The Titans had also killed his mother. Eren didn't know the details, but somehow his father and managed to screw over one of the higher- ups within the Titans. They had raided his home and killed his mother. His father fled the city. Eren had already moved out of the city, and he heard about his mother's death on the news three days later. This had happened three years ago. A week before the entrance exams, Armin's parents had also been killed. They had been driving downtown to Trost to visit Armin when they were carjacked. Eye witnesses said that the couple had willing given up the car, but were gunned down as the car jackers drove away. It was later discovered to be the work of the Titans. Eren felt that taking down the Titans should be a major priority for all of the police. It enraged him to see officers who thought differently. He had gotten into a fight with one of the other trainees over the same thing.

“What you call an idiot, others call a hero,” Marlo said with a frown. He turned toward the trio. “Go to the third floor.” he said simply. “That goes for you guys too.” he called leaning to look over Eren's shoulder. Eren turned behind him and grimaced.

“What are you doing here, horse face?” he spat with a scowl.

“What do you think, dumb ass,” the man retorted. Eren sneered at the man. He was a little taller than Eren. He had his hair in an undercut, the roots looked dark, while his hair looked to be a dirty blond color. He was wearing an officer's uniform, and Eren noticed that the emblem was the same as his own.

“Jean, stop it.” Eren then noticed the man that was standing next to him. He was a little taller than Jean, and had freckles the decorated his cheek. Eren immediately recognized him and felt his frown taper away into a smile. 

“Hey, Marco.” The freckled man grinned. All of their attention was brought back to Marlo at the sound of him clearing his throat.

“The elevator is just down the hall,” he said, pointing in the direction that they needed to go. The group gave their thanks and headed toward the elevator. Eren noticed Jean slip his hand into Marco's, the latter blushing feverishly and trying to pull away.

“So you guys finally made it official?” Eren asked with a smirk.

“Finally?” the two repeated.

“It was pretty obvious,” Armin said with a soft smile. Marco let out a nervous laugh, while Jean seemed unfazed.

“More importantly,” Eren started as he pressed the button to call the elevator. “What made you guys join the Recon brigade? I thought you guys were shooting for the MP. What made you change your minds?” There was a pause of silence. Jean looked to Marco, and Eren noticed a different look in his eyes. It was sympathy.

“You and Marco did,” Jean stated flatly. There was a loud ding that signaled the arrival of the elevator. They filed into the elevator, and Eren turned to face Jean.

“What do you mean?” Jean sighed and looked at Eren.

“I'll be honest, before I met any of you, I didn't really consider the Titans to be a big deal. They weren't really in my city, and all. But when you guys talked about all the shit that went down... I guess it made me rethink some things. What sealed the deal was Marco,” Jean finished. He looked over at Marco, almost as if he was seeking permission to continue. Marco gave a little smile and turned to face Eren.

“I didn't say anything back in training, but my sister was kidnapped a few months ago,” Marco said. The doors to the elevator opened, but no one moved. Marco looked from the door and back to the group before stepping out of the elevator. They followed suit. Eren noticed that this floor looked completely different from the hall downstairs. It looked like a cheap office, with tile floors near the elevator and dingy gray carpeting where the cubicles once were. Eren stopped focusing on his surroundings and brought his attention back to Marco. The freckled man sighed and continued on.

“I didn't really see the need to say anything at that point. I was going to join the MP, but a few days before we were to choose the police found her but...” Marco stopped. Eren knew where this was going. Jean put his hand on Marco's shoulder.

“The police said it was the Titans. After that, Marco decided to join this place. I didn't want him to be alone, so I joined him as well.”

“I'm sorry for your loss,” Armin said, reaching out and taking Marco's hand. The training had ended a little over a week ago. Eren could imagine how Marco felt. Said male smiled.

“It is what it is,” he said. “Let's talk about something more positive.”

“Like how Jean finally decided to comb his messy ass hair,” Eren said with a smirk. Jean let out a laugh.

“Same to you.” The group chatted for awhile, before a thought occurred to Eren. The woman downstairs said that there were more of them. As far as he knew, Armin, Mikasa and himself were the only ones who were joining the Recon Brigade. How many more people changed their minds? They wandered around until they reached an open are where a group was sitting. There were chairs set in rows and in front of those rows were two people. The two men looked completely different, yet equally intimidating. One man was a tall blond with striking features. The other man was considerably shorter, with black hair and a frown that seemed permanently etched on his face. Both men had undercuts.

“Technically, you’re not late so you're not in trouble,” the shorter man said. “So get your asses over here before I change my mind.” The group walked toward the seats. The blond then gained everyone's attention by standing.

“Let's begin. I'd like to start by thanking you for joining the Recon brigade. We are limited in numbers, so your participation is greatly appreciated. My name is Erwin Smith, and I am the head director of this brigade. This is Levi, and he is my second in command,” Erwin turned to Levi. Said male faced the group.

“Don't goof off and be ready to go on an assignment when called,” he said flatly. Erwin shook his head with a smile. He must have been expecting a little more out of Levi.

“Welcome to the Academy,” Erwin said with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Just fixing some mistakes :)


	2. An Old Friend

Eren could feel the butterflies in his stomach. It finally felt official, no, it was official. Eren Jaeger was a police officer in the Recon Brigade. He looked over at the faces that were in the chairs alongside him. Many of them were familiar. Eren's attention was brought back to Erwin.

“As you can see, this part of the building used to be an office. The cubicles have been replaced with several desks. These desks aren't assigned to any one person, but it's preferred that if you're not working on an assignment or case that you do paper work at one of these desks.”

“And clean that shit up before you leave,” Levi added. Eren could hear different voices muttering a “yes sir”. Eren noticed that Jean had his arm around Marco's waist. Given Marco's somber expression, Eren could assume that the talk they had about his sister was still getting to him. Eren tried to think back on his time when they were in police training. Were there any clues that could have let him know that Marco was indeed suffering? He racked his brain, but the only clue he could come up with was that Marco talked very sparingly about his sister. Eren pushed the thoughts out of his head. He wasn't as close to Marco as Jean was, but he still knew the man was tougher than his docile exterior would make one assume. After a few more rules were prattled off, the new members of the Recon Brigade were dismissed.

“Bodt,” Levi called. Marco looked up, the confusion very clear on his face. He stood up and Jean was out of his seat to follow him.

“Just Bodt.” Levi's stern voice left no room for argumentation. Jean made a noise of disapproval but made his way over to where Eren sat.

“What does he need Marco for anyway?” Jean hissed irritably.

“It probably has something to do with... his sister,” Eren said, trying to cover up the fact that he almost said murder. He looked to where Marco, Levi and Erwin were. They were speaking in hushed tones and Levi's previously harsh expression and melted into a much softer one. It wasn't pity, even in the short time that they had been introduced, not even formally so, Eren could tell that Levi wasn't the type of man to pity others. Eren was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps drawing in close to him. He turned in his chair to see mixed male with a buzz cut plop down in the seat nearest to him. Eren smiled brightly, his hand instinctively coming up to give the other male's hand a slapping hand shake.

“Didn't think I'd see you here, Connie,” Eren said, shaking off the pain but not the redness of the shake. Connie grinned widely, mimicking Eren's actions

“Well you know, shit happens,” he said simply.

 

“Hmm... that reminds me, where's Sasha?” Eren asked. He knew the pair was an item before joining the police force. Connie was working a simple desk job at a local metro police station when, in his words; the most beautiful woman to stuff a handful of Pringles into her mouth, had walked through the automatic double doors. Quirky as it sounded, it was love at first sight. Though, the feelings that Connie had for the woman did nothing to stop him from rolling his eyes and huffing.

“She's hunting down a snack machine. What else is new?”

“Maybe it's just out of nervousness,” Armin piped into the conversation. Eren nodded in agreement. When he had last seen the pair, neither of them had any intention on joining the Recon Brigade, but especially not Sasha. When Eren had asked her if she would ever be willing to join, he got a resounding “hell no”. To see Connie here was shocking enough, but the thought that Sasha had also joined was... Before he could finish his thoughts, he noticed that another pair was sitting near the growing group.

“How's it going?” The speaker was a muscular blond. He had strong features that fit his... rippling pectorals. Eren had once vaguely thought that the man simply didn't buy clothes that fit him correctly on purpose, seeing as how every shirt that he wore seemed to hug his muscles tightly.

"Hey Reiner, Bertolt," Eren said with a smile. The blond, Reiner, grinned widely. The other man beside him was a tall lanky man, the one named Bertolt. When Eren first met the pair in training he wasn't sure how to feel about Bertolt. He was a quiet man who didn't even really speak to him until a little after the first week. Eren was slightly put off by his demeanor, but still tried to be cordial. However, he quickly learned that Bertolt was no one to sneeze at. Thankfully, Eren had not been on the receiving end of this harsh lesson, but witnessed it. In order to stop a full on brawl from forming, Bertolt had cold- cocked the main instigator, effectively knocking the man unconscious. And if that wasn't enough to sway Eren's opinion on the man, he had ranked third overall once done with the academy and held the place of top sharp shooter. Eren had respect for the quiet man. Said man gave a small nod in acknowledgement. The group chatted for a bit, eventually joined by Sasha, a somewhat lanky brunette with big bright eyes and long hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"I meant to ask you guys," Eren said looking toward Reiner and Bertolt. "Where's Annie?"

"She decided to join the MP," Reiner stated. Bertolt had a somber look on his face, but said nothing.

"Is Christa and Ymir there too?" Eren asked. There was a pause amongst the group. The silence suggested that none of them knew where Christa and Ymir were. Before that question could be answered, their attention was brought to footsteps that signaled someone's approach. Eren looked over to see Marco heading toward them. He may have just imagined it, but he could have sworn that Marco's face went from sullen sadness to a more chipper expression once he reached the group. Eren would have been puzzled, if he didn't know that first expression all too well. He had seen it in Mikasa, Armin and even himself; the pain that one feels after losing a loved one. He was sure that whatever he talked about with Erwin and Levi had something to do with his sister. But it wasn't Eren's place to ask, and he knew that. So he stayed quiet. Jean was up on his feet and heading toward Marco before the freckled male even made it to the group.

"You good?" Jean asked simply. Marco smiled. Eren noted how he didn't confirm verbally whether he was ok or not.

"So, we all decided to join the same force," Connie said with a smile.

"Oh are we not included in that 'we'?" asked a voice. They all turned in the direction of the voice to see two women leaving elevator. The woman that spoke was a tall woman with olive skin and freckles. The woman beside her was a petite blond who was considerably shorter.

"Sorry we're late," the blond said, addressing Levi and Erwin more so than the other officers in her age group. Neither commander seemed to care. They did, however, give one more glance in Marco's direction before taking their leave. Eren was sure that whatever the three of them had talked about, it had something to do with the death of Marco's sister. But he couldn't worry about another person's affairs. He needed to get acclimated to his new job so that he could go on an assignment as soon as possible.

Eren sat in the passenger seat, his face calm and his body still. The same couldn't be said for his insides. His stomach twisted uncomfortably as if someone was wringing a wet towel, trying to completely squeeze any leftover dampness out. And yet, even with this painful twisting he could still feel the nervous butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Eren could feel his heart hammering in his chest, pounding away faster than it ever had in his entire life. It was only his first week. Actually, it was Friday so it hadn't even been a full official week yet. And yet here he was, in the passenger seat of a squad car; about to head off on a call with Levi. The other man was in the driver's seat, scrolling through his phone.

"Alright... Erwin says this should be a simple call. It's a domestic disturbance at an apartment. It's called 'the Underground'," Levi said, setting the phone in the cup holder that was close to him. Eren knew a little bit about Underground. It was a shady apartment complex, known to be swarming with Titan activity. However, as messy as it could get, there was typically only petty drugs and prostitution there and a strict "Don't snitch" policy amongst its inhabitants. It was very unusual to see that someone had called out to the police. He might have been thinking too far into the situation. The Recon brigade was typically called out whenever there was suspicion of Titan activity, regardless of its severity. The drive to Underground was done in silence. Levi kept the radio off and Eren was too nervous to strike up a conversation.

"It's apartment 1302. If we're lucky, we pop in, check everything out and go the fuck home," Levi said. Eren nodded, but said nothing. He trailed close behind Levi, looking around the complex. Eren by no means came from a gated community. However, he was not used to the atmosphere of this apartment complex. It was very clear that the inhabitants of this apartment complex didn't like the presence of two cops. Many of the people who had been outside were now either getting in their cars or turning to go into their own apartments. Eren swallowed heavily. He knew he looked like fresh meat, easy to manipulate and scare. Levi didn't seem even slightly affected by the atmosphere. Though he was shorter, his intimidating presence made him tower over Eren.. The apartments were run down and dirty, but their structure looked as if it could have been from a suburban neighborhood. Years of gang activity and neglect had taken its toll on the complex. They had parked in front of the area labeled "1300- 1350". They walked down the path and stopped at the door with the rusty label of "1302". Levi knocked on the door, the loud knock seeming to echo through the hall.

"We got a call about a domestic disturbance," Levi said flatly. Eren stiffened at the sound of two locks being turned. A male opened the door, and Eren couldn't contain the shock the spread over his features.

"Thomas?" he asked softly, praying to be wrong. The man looked at him, his cheeks sullen, eyes tired and smiled.

"'Sup, Jeager," he said, his voice scratchy. Eren felt his shoulders slump as he continued to stare at the man in disbelief. Levi eyed the two and eventually spoke up.

"Do you mind if we come in?" he asked, though his voice made it sound like he said "We're going to be coming in now." The man nodded and moved aside so that the two officers could make their way into the apartment. Thomas closed the door and locked both of the locks that were on his door, while also locking the additional locks that must have been installed on his own accord.

"You called about a domestic disturbance," Levi said. Thomas nodded and headed toward the couch. The apartment looked to be in complete disarray. Cans of beer were strewn around the room along with clothes, old cigarette butts and various other miscellaneous items. Levi clicked his tongue irritably, but didn't say anything. Eren went to sit beside Thomas, while Levi stayed standing near them.

"Thomas... what happened to you?" Eren asked. Thomas shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. The Thomas that Eren remembered was a rising football star. His blond hair, distinctive mutton chops and his trade mark smile were now replaced with dark rimmed eyes, a sickly complexion and complete disarray. Eren couldn't fathom what all had happened to his old friend, but if he lived in this apartment complex, then he could simply guess.

"I got in bad with the Titans. Real bad," Thomas said. Levi crossed his arms.

"That's unfortunate, but why did you call for a domestic disturbance?"

"I was worried that if I said 'nything about drugs, I'd have the MP. Don't want them. Can't help me," Thomas said. Eren was taken aback by how broken his speech was.

"Arrest me." Now Levi was shocked. Neither officer said anything, both seeming to wait for further explanation. Thomas bowed his head but continued.

"Somethin' real nasty went down. I gotta get this off my chest, but I can't do it here. You gotta arrest me," Thomas repeated, his voice sounded like he was pleading. Eren looked to Levi, the older officer seemed to be in deep thought.

"Did you commit a crime," Levi asked calmly.

"Uh... yeh, yeh. I hit ma girl. Say whatcha gotta, just arrest me!" Thomas's voice had risen over the course of his plea. Levi sighed and closed his eyes. There was a pause but when he opened his eyes, he looked toward Eren.

"We can't arrest him til he comes out side," he said. Without any further explanation, Levi walked toward the door. Eren looked at Thomas and stood. The blond smiled, almost sadly, and walked over to the door. He proceeded to unlock all of the locks. All three filed out of the apartment, and Thomas locked the door. Once that task was done, Levi turned to Eren.

"Cuff 'em," Levi said flatly. Eren fumbled with the sudden order, walking over to Thomas nervously. As he placed the cuffs onto Thomas, Levi preceded to Marandize him, walking back toward the squad car. Eren trailed behind, guiding his cuffed friend toward the car. A few of the residents were peeking through their windows at the scene. Once they reached the car, Levi opened the back seat and Eren guided Thomas in so that he wouldn't hit his head. Eren closed the door and then got into the passenger seat. Eren's hands felt numb, and his chest felt tight. He couldn't believe that he had just arrested his friend. What did he need to tell them that was so important that he was willing to be arrested for? Too many questions were swimming through Eren's head. Levi glanced over at him.

"Who is this guy to you?" he asked.

"He's..." Eren paused and looked back at Thomas. The blond had his head hung solemnly. "He's an old friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter. I felt like it was kinda short but... oh well ^^ I have a problem where I think very specific scenes but when it comes to getting to them I just... lol I'm sure that made little to no sense


	3. We Have a Problem

Once they got back to the station, Levi and Eren guided Thomas to the holding cell that was within the precinct. Eren was hoping that Mikasa and Armin would be upstairs. They all went to the same school, so they also knew who Thomas was. Eren wasn't in the mood to try and explain, since he himself was still confused about the situation. Thomas wasn't necessarily his best friend, but he admired Thomas. By the time Eren got into high school as a freshman, Thomas was already a senior. Thomas was the type of person that everyone wanted to be. Seeing how far he had fallen was shocking. Unfortunately, as he helped Levi guide Thomas to holding, he could see Mikasa and Armin turn from the front desk with confusion very clear on their faces. Eren had assumed that they were going to take Thomas to holding, but instead took him to one of the interview rooms that was on the second floor. There were multiple police officers on this floor, however there emblem was different from both the Recon brigade and the MP. It had roses with vines wrapped around it. Eren knew that this group was the Garrison. Though they were technically in charge of cold cases, they typically did a lot of the paper work for all three groups. Eren and also knew that they also oversaw line- ups and criminal interviews. They were stopped by a woman with silver blond hair that stopped at the nape of her neck and round glasses that framed her blue eyes.

"I understand that you people believe that we do all of your paper work, but if you could get Ms. Zoe to stop handing in frivolous requests to 'experiment' on some of the members of the Titans that we detain, it would be highly appreciated. It's highly illegal to even think to do what she wants anyway," the woman said, her voice failing to project the irritation that was very clear in her eyes.

"Rico, you know Hanji doesn't listen to anyone. When they get an idea they do it," Levi said. Eren was confused by the use of "they", but decided not to say anything. The woman, Rico, sighed and moved out of the way by walking around them, not even sparring further conversation with them. Levi continued on to one of the interview rooms. Eren opened the door for the two of them, and Levi guided Thomas to the chair. Levi uncuffed Thomas as he got into the chair, but cuffed his right hand to the leg of the table. Eren and Levi sat on the other side, but neither of them said anything. They both merely stared at Thomas. The blond seemed to look anywhere but directly at them. Levi leaned back in his chair and stared down Thomas.

"So... you said you got in deep with the Titans," Levi stated. He didn't say anything more and it was clear that he intended for Thomas to say what he needed to say. The blond rubbed the back of his neck with his uncuffed hand.

"I'm already busted so... I do drugs 'aight. The heavy stuff," Thomas started. "I get my stuff fromma guy down in Shinganshina. My girl, Mina, she warned me. Told me wouldn't take 'em long to pull me in deep, you know?" Thomas stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. Eren sat quietly, mulling over the situation. How bad could it have gotten that Thomas would be willing to admit to drug use to two police officers? What had happened to Thomas since he graduated? Eren was brought out of his questioning by the sound of Levi's voice.

"That doesn't answer why you called for us," Levi leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. "I should hope that your intention was not to use the Recon brigade as your body guards in the event that you fucked over the wrong Titan. Or worse still, you trying to set some of us up to be gunned down for shits and giggles?" Though Levi's tone sounded merely conversational, it was enough to cause Thomas to wave his hands (even if the one that was cuffed wouldn't raise as high as his other hand) in a defensive manner.

"Nah, man. That's not it," Thomas said. He leaned forward, looking back and forth at Levi and Eren. "I saw somethin' bad. Real bad." Levi raised his eyebrow and said "Go on". Thomas took a deep breath.

"So, I got a guy in Shinganshina who helps me out, right? So we're pretty chill, he tells me stuff, and I tell him my issues. So, I’ve been talkin' about how Mina's been mad at me, sometimes won't even come home. Been two days since I seen her last, actually. Anyway, my guy tells me he's got a few girls on the side who could help me out, you know. I'm thinkin' it's really one of his side chicks but he tells me they're hookers. I try to stay away from that, but he says they're clean, you know, DDD."

"DDD?" Eren mutters the question. He had meant to keep the question in his head, but when he realizes he said the question out loud he gets flustered. "Uhm, well that is... what does that mean?" he asks meekly.

"Drug free, disease free and drama free," Levi states simply. "Continue."

"Yeah, so the girls are good right. Well, he takes me to this warehouse and he's all like 'Take your pick'. They've got about, like, fifteen girls and seven boys lined up. I can tell some weren't even legal. I could tell somethin' wasn't right, cause the young ones, they looked like hell. You know, hookers, they smile, laugh, make ya think they really want you. But these guys... even the older ones couldn't hide it. I says to my guy 'This ain't right. I'd be cheatin' on my girl'. But he says I gotta pick one. So I pick an older one. She twenty... twenty-five. A real pretty girl, with long wavy hair and a whole bunch of freckles." Eren grimaced but said nothing. He could feel his stomach churn uncomfortably. This whole story was getting to him, and he knew for a fact that they hadn't even gotten to the worst of it.

"So, he takes us to a back room and says I can do what I want with her. I can tell she was used to this since she was outta her clothes before I could even say anything. So I tell 'er, 'Doll, I'm not into this.' And I asked her to put her clothes back on. Then she just busts out crying, saying how she don't know what to do anymore. I asked why she got into prostitution, right? She tells me she was kidnapped four months ago. I know I can't just break her out of there, but I'm not about to sleep with her. So I go back to my guy and let him know I'm not interested. So this is where it gets fucked up. He says she must not being doing her job right and he takes her away for training. I tell 'em it ain't right, and the girl didn't do nothing wrong. He asks 'why you so concerned over some whore?' So this gets me mad, cause I know she's a victim. But before I can slug the guy, the girl says ' I do need to be trained, I'm sorry'. I try to stick up for her, but the other guys that were there take her away. So me and my guy leave. He know I ain't about that shit, and starts apologizing for whatever she had said to me. I try to say how he wasn't right, but then I hear gun shots and a lot of 'em," Thomas pauses and takes a breath.

"You need a break?" Levi asks.

"Nah, I just... what if I'd just done what I was told? You know, I feel like... like a shouldn't never gone with him." Eren had his head hung low. There were twenty- two prostitutes there and all of them were most likely there against their will. Eren swallowed heavily trying to steady his nerves. He glanced over at Levi to the man had shifted in his seat to lean close.

"You can make good of this situation," Levi said calmly. "Tell me who the drug dealer is." Thomas shifted.

"That's thing. So, this happened a few weeks ago, I think. Well, last week someone rings my doorbell and I see a package. There was a fucking arm and a leg and a note that said 'Thanks for the meal'. I know it was my guy... Miles Staton, cause he had a gaudy ass tattoo of a naked Eve eatin' an apple. I told the MP and they said the Garrison would handle it. They didn't give a shit. But you guys..." Thomas looked up at them. "Please you gotta help me. I know I'm next. They don't know about Mina but she'll need help too... Please, I don't wanna die like that." Eren looked over at Levi. He wanted to help his friend, but he knew that if Levi didn't give the ok, then there wasn't much that Eren could do.

"... The information you know could be useful to us. If you're willing to write down your statement, then we can see what we can do," Levi said. He stood and left the room, coming back shortly after with a notepad and a pen. "Eren Jeager." Said male felt his back stiffen at his own name being called.

"Yes sir?"

"I'll stay with Thomas while he fills out his statement. You go use the phone at the front desk and get Erwin to come down here. The extension to his office is two three zero." Once Levi finished prattling off his instructions, he turned back to Thomas. The blond was scribbling down quickly onto the paper, most likely writing everything that he had just said to the two of them. Eren stopped staring at Thomas and looked toward the door.

"Is there anything you want me to do after that?" Eren asked.

"Since and official report has yet to be made, you don't have any paper work. It's already noon, so you can go ahead and get lunch or something." Eren nodded and walked out of the room, sparring one last glance in Thomas's direction. The interview rooms were on the lobby floor, so he only had to do a little walking to reach the front desk. Once Eren reached his destination, he took a deep breath. Hitch was behind the front desk. This time, instead of filing her nails she was on her phone. He remembered the attitude she had before, and he was in no mood to deal with her. Hitch glanced up from her phone and smirked.

"Back from you first assignment, eh? That guy is just a simple drug peddler," she stated, the smirk from before growing with each word. Eren could tell what she was insinuating. 'You're job could have easily been done by us. We don't need you'. Eren grimaced.

"I need to use the phone," Eren said. He tried to project some sense of an authority in his voice. Hitch leaned back in her chair and waved her hand over the phone, as if saying "Go ahead." Eren nodded his thanks and pressed the numbers that Levi had instructed him to. After about three rings Erwin's voice came on over the phone.

"Yes, this is Erwin."

"Uhm.. sir. This is Eren. Levi is in one of the interview rooms with a… uhm... suspect. He wants you to come down."

"Ah yes. I'll be right down." Before Eren could say anything else, he heard the click of the phone being hung up. Eren placed the phone gingerly onto the receiver. He looked over at Hitch when he heard her giggle.

"Nervous one arent ya?" She asked slyly. Eren frowned and proceeded to walk away, muttering a quiet "Thanks"

"Hey hey hey, don't be like that!" Hitch called. "Your friends wanted me to tell you to go upstairs and get them for lunch." Hitch said with a small smile.

"Uhm... thank you," Eren said. He headed for the elevator, giving a nod of thanks. Once the elevator reached the third floor, Eren looked around the office like space until he spotted Mikasa and Armin. He also noticed that Bertolt was sitting with them. Mikasa seemed like she had been watching the elevator waiting for Eren, while Armin and Bertolt were simply chatting. Eren walked over to where they were all sitting. Armin and Bertolt stopped talking and faced Eren. Armin's face slowly fell to a more somber expression before he spoke.

"Was... was that really Thomas?" Armin asked meekly. Eren nodded.

"Yeah... it's a little messy, but I really just want to go eat. I'm starving," Eren said, rubbing his stomach as if to emphasize the statement. Mikasa and Armin stood up and began to head toward the door when Eren turned around.

"Hey, Bertolt, you wanna go with us? We can get Reiner if you want," Eren said. Bertolt looked a little confused to be involved.

"Uhm... Reiner is off on an assignment with Connie," the male said quietly.

"All the more reason for you to join us," Armin said with a smile. He had already pressed the elevator button. Bertolt conceded and got out of his chair. He trailed behind the group quietly. Once they all got in the elevator, Eren leaned tiredly against the wall.

"So, what do you guys want to eat?"

"How about.... sushi?" Mikasa suggested.

"Meh," Eren muttered. "Any other ideas?"

"There's a sandwich shop about fifteen minutes away from here," Bertolt said quietly.

"That actually sounds great," Eren said. They headed toward Eren's car. Once they all piled in, Eren got the directions from Bertolt and headed toward the shop.

"So... Thomas is into drugs?" Armin asked nervously. Eren wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set down his sandwich. He had vaguely told them about his interaction with Thomas. He had just told them about the sex trafficking ring.

"'Yeah... I couldn't even believe it was him. I mean... he wasn't, how should I put this?" Eren mumbled leaning back in his chair. "He wasn't as strong looking as he was in high school. He looked, like, sickly. It was pretty bad," Eren said solemnly. Armin leaned back in his chair with a frown.

"Wow... I can't believe it," Armin breathed out the sentence. Mikasa set down her sandwich.

"So... all those people died?" Though Mikasa was very blunt, it was still very clear that the whole situation bothered her. The idea of all of these innocent young men and women gunned down after what was most likely hell was painful thing to think of. Eren wasn't surprised by Mikasa and Armin's reaction to the story. However, Eren was a little taken aback by Bertolt's reaction. He had yet to say anything and was merely eating his food with a calm expression. Eren was fully aware that Bertolt wasn't as meek as he seemed, but to have no reaction to such a horrific story? Though, people react differently to things. Some might find Mikasa's bluntness as a strange reaction. Even Armin's reaction could be viewed as off. With this thought in mind, Eren chose not to address Bertolt's lack of reaction at that point.

"Wait, "Armin said, sitting up straight now with a sudden urgency.”Describe the girl Thomas was talking to again."

"Oh, well... he said she is-" Eren stopped and cleared his throat. "Uhm... was a real pretty girl; long wavy black hair, looked to be about twenty- somethin' years old and had freckles."

"Could she have been...?” Armin stopped himself from saying more, leaning back in his chair and worrying at his fore finger.

"What is it?" Eren asked.

"Well... he never really talked about her so I have no idea what she looks like, but...." Armin trailed off again.

"You don't think it's-"Mikasa stopped herself from finishing her sentence and glanced over at Bertolt. He looked meekly at her, eyes shifting between the three of them. Armin and Mikasa looked at each other before Mikasa leaned forward.

"Do you know about… Marco?"

"What does he have to do with any of this?" Eren asked confusion evident on his features.

"Yes. When Levi asked to speak with him, Reiner and I happened to be sitting close enough to hear. I don't know much though. We left out of respect." Bertolt turned to Eren. "That's part of the reason why we went to sit with you guys."

"Ok, that's all well and good. But what are you guys talking about?" Eren asked. His confusion had evolved into frustration. Whatever conversation the three of them were having was going over his head.

"I think the girl that Thomas was describing... was Marco's sister," Armin said.

"But..." Eren tried to think of some sort of protest. "But he said they found her."

"They could have dumped her body after the fact."

"But why would they do that?"

"Because they're monsters." The three friends looked at the person who gave the solemn statement. Bertolt was looking up from his tray, but he was clearly upset. Eren continued to look at Bertolt before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Well, we're here to stop them," Eren said through his food. Armin smiled.

"And we will."Mikasa still had an upset look on her face. Eren could tell she was still bothered by the realization that one of those victims could have very well been Marco's sister.

"It's probably better if we don't say anything to Marco... maybe not even Jean." Eren said.

“Yeah, especially since we don’t know for sure if it’s her,” Armin said. Eren began to put all of the wrappings that had been around his sandwich onto the burgundy colored tray that was in front of him. Mikasa nodded and followed suit. Once everyone had thrown away their trash, they once again piled into Eren's car and headed back to the precinct. The car ride was done in silence, not even so much as the radio to break the uneasy tension that was settled within all four occupants. Even one if the victims was Marco's sister, knowing is only half the battle. There was a lot more to what was going on with Thomas, and he knew it could only get worse from here.

Once they had returned to the precinct, it was very obvious that something had gone wrong. There were officers running frantically around the front lobby. Some officers were sitting, muttering to each other in what was easy to distinguish as confusion. They filed into the room, concerned and confused. Eren spotted Reiner and Connie, most likely having only recently come back from whatever assignment they were on. The small group made their way toward them.

"What the hell is going on?" Eren asked. His eyes continued to scan the room as members of all three police factions were running about.

"Not sure, we just got here," Reiner said. Connie was rubbing his hand against his head.

"Do they even know?" Connie asked, motioning at the scurrying officers. "Everyone looks confused as..." Connie trailed off, his eyes focusing on the end of the hallway. Eren turned to see where Connie was looking to see Levi and Erwin walking in their direction.

"We have a problem," Levi said once he reached the group. They all shared a puzzled look before turning back to face their superior.

"What happened?" Eren asked.

"Thomas is dead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I take forever updating. I really want to try keeping a consistent writing style, but hopefully I'm getting better.


	4. Cecilia Bodt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long!

"Dead? What do you mean?" Eren asked. He couldn't wipe the look of shock from his face. It was just over thirty minutes since they had talked to Thomas, and he was dead? Armin and Mikasa didn't look any less shocked.

"It's my fault," Levi said after a moment of silence. Erwin glanced down at Levi but said nothing. "I left him in holding, but he was away from all of the other inmates. They shouldn't have even known that he was here. So I assumed... anyway, because of my negligence-"

"That's enough," Erwin said, cutting him off. Levi gave a small grimace but conceded and stayed quiet. "Thomas could have been a very essential part of infiltrating the Titans. We have no choice but to start an internal investigation." Erwin finished his sentence with a firm expression.

"You can't possibly," Eren started. He took a breath to steady his nerves. "You can't really believe that anyone here would help the Titans. We're all here for a reason! We all want those bastards dead!" Eren's voice had risen as he continued. He grew self conscious when he could hear his own voice echoing off of the walls. Levi pursed his lips together. He glanced at Erwin before speaking.

"Yes, many have something to gain from being here but-" He stopped. He was trying to choose his words carefully. "But we're not all here to gain the same thing." Erwin nodded.

"This is just a precaution. From here until I deem it unnecessary, everyone will be in groups of three, or one or two trainees will be with a vet. I'll make a formal announcement when we have everything figured out. All of you head to the Recon area, understood?" The group gave a "Yes sir" before heading off toward the elevator.

"I can't believe this," Eren mumbled.

"But you heard him, we have no idea how or why this happened," Armin said.

"This could be for our safety as well," Bertolt added. Reiner nodded.

"Not gonna lie, I do feel better knowing a vet'll have my back," Reiner said. Eren clenched his fists.

"He doesn't trust us," Eren said through gritted teeth. The mere thought of being associated with a Titan made his blood boil. He didn't react to the sound of the elevator reaching their floor and had to be pulled into the elevator by Mikasa. Once they reached their desired level, Eren noticed that there were a lot of people there. There were people that he had seen over the past week as well as some of the old trainees. He could see Jean and Marco standing off to the side. They walked over to the pair.

"I'm guessing you guys are as lost as us," Jean said as the group approached. Eren nodded. He made eye contact with Marco and felt his stomach flop.

"Is it true?" Marco asked. Eren was taken aback.

"What... what do you mean?" Eren asked, trying to be careful with his words.

"Well, we heard rumors... about what that guy said," Marco said. Eren glanced at Armin and Mikasa.

"What did you hear," Armin asked.

"Ah, well. I heard that he was involved with the Titans and it was more than just drugs but... well that's all we've heard," Marco said.

"Yeah, and that was just overhearing other people," Jean added. Eren let out the breath that he didn't even know that he had been holding. He was just thankful that Marco didn't know about the possibility of his sister being one of the victims that Thomas had mentioned.

"Well yeah, that's about it," Eren said.

"But why are we being left out in the dark?" Connie asked. Eren was also plagued by this question. He wanted to believe that Erwin had a reason to not trust them, given that they had only been with them for about a week. But even some of the veterans looked confused. Eren glanced around the room and spotted a group he was familiar with. He had seen Levi with them. Their names were Petra, Oluo, Eld and Gunther. He knew very little of the group. He had talked to Petra once, and it had been a very brief conversation. He did know that they had been here long enough to gain Levi and Erwin's trust. And yet the four of them looked just as confused. They all turned at the sound of the elevator going off. Erwin and Levi walked off of the elevator and headed to where they stood on Eren's first day.

"As I'm sure you've all been made aware, there has been a breach in our system," Erwin said. He paused and looked around the room. Eren shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "As such, we will be implementing new safety measures No one goes out alone, not even the vets. This is for your safety as well. The MP and the Garrison is also implementing changes in protocol. There may even be times where you are expected to work with a member of those brigades. Prior to an assignment, you will be notified who it is that you are going with. We'll let you know more information as we learn of it. That is all, thank you." With that Erwin walked to where his desk was, with Levi close behind him. Eren looked over the group and saw that a lot of the other members of the brigade looked confused and off-put.  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
That conversation had been at least a month ago. Eren was sitting at his desk, his head tilted back. He let out a groan as he twisted in his chair. Ever since Thomas’s, Eren hadn't been out on any assignments. He and many of the trainees had been put on desk duty. His desk was far from the elevator so he never knew who was leaving and if it was a trainee. He knew Mikasa had gone out, but it was a petty shop lifting case that had nothing to do with the Titans and he had no idea who the other two trainees that she had gone with. Eren put his head on his desk. As much as it irritated him, he knew that Erwin had his own motivations that were for the team as a whole. Keeping that in mind, Eren began to work on the last of his paperwork. 

About forty minutes had past, and Eren was trying to keep himself from falling asleep. He was hunched over his desk, scribbling on the desk.

“The hell are you doing, Jaeger?” a voice asked. Eren jolted up and turned in his seat to face the man.

“Captain Levi?” The smaller man was standing over Eren. He had papers stacked on top of what looked like a gray medical box in his hands. Eren recognized it to be what held the supplies when collecting evidence. Levi looked at Eren’s marred desk and clicked his tongue, clearly agitated.

“Come with me,” Levi said. He turned on his heel, giving Eren little time to recover from his embarrassment and slight fear. He stammered out a “Yes sir” before trailing close behind him. They walked through the office and to the elevator. There were two people waiting by the elevator. Marco was standing, looking slightly nervous, and Bertolt was with him. When they got to the elevator, Levi pressed that down button and got on. Once they all filed in, Levi began to talk.

“I’m not too fond of having to babysit so many newbies at once. I’ll give my directions once and only once, so listen up,” he said. Levi shuffled through the papers. He pressed the garage button.

“We’re heading to Thomas’s apartment,” Levi said.

“I thought evidence was already collected from his place after he died,” Eren said. Levi glanced back at him.

“Yes, this is something different,” Levi said. Eren tilted his head to the side. Levi looked back at the papers in his hands/

“A body was found. It’s believed to be the body of Thomas’s girlfriend, Mina,” Levi said. Eren grimaced. He glanced to his side at Marco. The freckled male seemed startled and pale. Eren then looked over at Bertolt who looked slightly bothered. Marco cleared his throat.

“I thought Erwin said only one trainee would need to go with a vet,” he said. Eren could hear the slight tremors in his voice.

“Don’t think you can stomach seeing a dead body, Bodt?” Levi asked. Marco stiffened and shifted in place. The elevator made a loud ding, signaling their arrival. They all filed out, the three young officers following Levi. The veteran turned to face them, Marco more so.

“Listen, it’s understandable to be uncomfortable,” he said. He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. “But it’s important for all of you to get this experience. It sucks, but it’s our job.” Levi stopped in front of a white car. It was sleek, and looked nothing like a police car. The only way Eren could even tell was that the license plate was different from normal cars. They filed in, Eren sitting in the passenger seat. Levi passed the grey box to Eren, and instructed him to hang on to it.

The ride to The Underground was silent, uncomfortable but thankfully, quick. Once they got to Thomas’s old apartment there were already a few officers there. They were standing around, as if they had no idea what it was they needed to do. Eren huffed. ‘Definitely the MP,’ he thought. As they drew closer he saw a man who indeed had an MP emblem. He recognized to be Nile Dawk, the commander of the MP. Eren was rather confused as to why someone so high up in the MP bothered to come, while Erwin stayed at the precinct. He also saw Hitch, Marlo and a familiar blond woman.

“Annie?” he asked. The blond looked in their direction, her blue eyes looking as steely as he remembered them to be. She nodded in their direction. Eren glanced over at the other two. Hitch was standing with her hip to the side. She didn’t bother to contain her yawn. Marlo was standing, rigid and focused. He had a camera clasped between his hands. Levi walked up to the man.

“As productive as ever,” he muttered brushing past Nile. Nile clicked his tongue.

“You’re lucky I even waited for you people,” he said. Levi walked over to a form sprawled out on the floor. It was then that Eren noticed the body. She was laying on her stomach with her face pressed against the floor. Eren looked away, feeling his stomach turn. Levi and Nile stood over the body.

“We left her as we found her,” Nile said. “Figured you’d want to collect evidence with us.” Levi nodded. He kneeled next to the body. He turned toward Eren. He waved him over and Eren quickly shuffled towards him. He kneeled down and opened the box. Levi dug through and picked up two pairs of gloves. He handed one pair to Nile and they both slipped them on. Levi waved over Marlo, who clambered over nervously. Levi instructed him to take several pictures of the body at different angles. Eren grimaced and walked over to where Marco and Bertolt were. Marco was considerably pale. Eren nudged him gently.

“You need to get some air?” Eren asked. Marco shook his head and forced a smile.

“I just, don’t understand why so many of us are here.” Marco said.

“That’s what I’m saying,” Hitch said. She sauntered over to them, with Annie close behind. Marlo was still taking pictures as Levi and Nile shifted the body. 

“I mean seriously,” Hitch continued. “What’s the point in six newbies in one area?”

“Because this isn’t a normal case,” Nile said, muttering a “moron” under his breath. Levi gently tilted her head to make her nick more visible to Marlo’s camera. That was when Eren saw her face. She had cuts and long deep gashes all over her faces. There were even spots that looked like the skin had been yanked off. Eren shuddered and looked away. He noticed that Marco seemed to be shaking. 

“What’s wrong?” Eren asked. He noticed Bertolt glance at them nervously.

“But why so many of us?” Hitch asked in a whine.

“Because this is the fourth body this week,” Nile said, frustrated. “Not to mention the others that were found earlier.”

“You mean the ones that were placed at the victims’ homes?” Marlo asked.

“Focus,” Levi hissed. Eren noticed him glancing back at them. Nile seemed to be ignoring Levi.

“I thought the girl a few months ago would be it, but I guess-“

“What was her name?” Marco asked abruptly. Levi stood from his crouching position and turned to face Marco.

“Jeager, Bodt, step outside,” Levi said. Eren turned toward the door to leave but Marco stood firmly in place.

“Bodt?” Nile asked. He glanced up at Levi. “Wasn’t that-“

“Enough,” Levi said. He turned toward Marco. “Outside. Now.”

“Was her name… Cecilia Bodt?” Marco asked. Nile looked between them and sighed.

“Yes.”


	5. Sinking Feeling

The air in the apartment felt thick and suffocating. Even the people who were clueless to the severity of the situation felt uncomfortable. Marlo was still near the body, the camera clasped tightly in his hands. Hitch was off to the side; confused, uncomfortable, yet still bored. Eren notice Annie walked close to the door, Bertolt close to her. Marco was standing in the same spot he had been, facing Nile and Levi.

 

“So this… this body…” Marco started. Eren glanced back at the body, the woman that had been Mina. He felt his stomach sink when he looked back at Marco. The male was a ghostly pale and he was shaking. His fists were clenched. Eren could tell that Marco was putting the pieces together in his head. His eyes were focused on Mina; on her peeled face, the plethora of gashes that marred her skin, the bite marks, the dried blood. He stared and knew that all of what he was seeing on her, had happened to his sister. Marco swallowed heavily.

 

“I was… here… in training when they found my sister,” Marco started. Eren shifted and looked between Marco and Levi. The man was looking at Marco, hearing what he had to say. “Mom, she didn’t tell me how they found her. I had assumed…that… I assumed the police found her body in some remote shallow grave.” Marco stopped and finally tore his gaze from the body. “Was my sister like this- left in some house-“ Marco stopped and gestured toward the body. “Left like this?” He said. His voice quivered as each word tumbled out in a clumsy fashion. Levi frowned. Nile looked between them and sighed, his harsh feature softening.

 

“Kid, are you too close to this case to be here?” he asked. Levi’s eyes flashed in the man’s direction. Eren would have missed it if he hadn’t been paying attention. He could see the flash of anger that Levi had when he looked at Nile. Eren pursed his lips together and looked back to Marco. The freckled male was shaking. Without another word, he turned on his heel and ran out of the apartment. Eren hesitated and looked back at Levi. The man nodded and turned back to the body. Eren quickly ran out after Marco. He hadn’t run off far. He was doubled over in front of a wall, his hand clasped tightly over his mouth. He fell to his knees. Eren ran up behind him and leaned down. He put his hand on his back and rubbed in circles. He could feel Marco shaking. After a minute or so, Marco let his hand fall to his side as he sat hunched over.

 

“My sister… she went through… that?” Marco asked. His voice seemed so small. Eren didn’t say anything, he couldn’t. He didn’t know how to console Marco. He couldn’t lie, but he couldn’t rely on the truth either. It was too ugly. Marco bit his lip as tears flowed down his face. Eren gripped Marco’s arm and pressed his other hand on his back. Marco lurched forward. Eren was able to move out of the way just in time. Marco heaved violently. Eren rubbed his back. He kept doing so when he heard the heaving fade to sobs.

 

“I’m sorry…” Eren said. He stayed there with Marco until he heard a small laugh.

 

“How embarrassing,” Marco said weakly. He stood up on shaky legs. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. “My first real assignment and I run out.” Eren pat his shoulder and smiled.

 

“They’ll understand,” Eren said. Marco nodded. Eren turned and saw Levi standing off to the side. The pair walked over to the man. Eren could feel the tension coming off of Marco. The two stopped in front of Levi. Marco opened his mouth to speak.

 

“I wanted to apologize for the shit back there.” Eren cocked an eyebrow. He realized Levi had been the one to speak (especially since Marco would never swear in front of a superior). Marco also seemed confused by the apology.

 

“I didn’t know Nile was this fucking dense. I wasn’t trying to test you and honestly didn’t know this would involve your sister so directly.” Levi paused for a moment and looked up at Marco.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said. Marco relaxed his stance less rigid.

 

“It’s ok, sir. I’d also like to apologize for causing a scene,” he said. Levi nodded and glanced back at the direction of Thomas’s apartment.

 

“I need to get back, if you want to wait in the car, I won’t fault you,” Levi said. Marco shook his head.

 

“It’s fine, I’ll finish my job.

 

Eren was unsure how Marco was able to handle himself so well. He was near the body, collecting evidence, taking notes. He even touched her to move her arm to the side to get a better look at the lasserations. It impressed him to say the least. Eren was crouched down, taking some notes of his own. He remembered what Thomas had said about the girls from before. He never mentioned any noticeable bruising. Though, Eren kept in mind that Mina’s death was most likely a retaliation kill; the Titans getting back at Thomas for going to the police. Eren grimaced at a particularly purple looking bruise on the woman’s eye. He stood up and stepped away. He was feeling out of place. Levi and Nile had experience, Marlo had the camera and Marco’s notes were likely better than his. He walked toward the door, where Bertolt, Annie and Hitch were. Levi told them to look either busy or to intimidate neighbors out of rubber necking. Bertolt smiled tiredly at him.

 

“How’s Marco?” he asked. Eren sighed and leaned against the door.

 

“Better, I guess...” Eren said. He glanced back at Marco, as if to make sure he was correct. Marco was pointing at something, lifting Mina’s arm to show Levi and Nile. The two nodded and Levi motioned for Marlo to take more pictures.

 

“It takes a certain kind of person to indulge into a task blindly,” Annie said. Eren glared down at her.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. He could feel his fists clenching. As much as he respected Annie’s skill and valued her friendship, she had a tendency to say things that easily triggered Eren’s anger.

 

“It’s exactly as it sounds,” Annie said. Eren grimaced. “Marco, Marlo, even you… all of you have this quality.”

 

“And what’s that?” Eren said. He knew Annie well enough that whatever she was about to say was going to piss him off. He pursed his lips together and tried to steady his nerves.

 

“Blind idiocy,” she said. Hitch snorted, barely containing her own laughter.

 

“That’s Marlo alright!” She clutched her stomach and started to laugh. Eren glared between the two women.

 

“It’s not a bad thing,” Annie said. Eren looked down at her again, about to say something, but stopped. He looked in her eyes, she was genuine. Eren huffed in agitation. He wanted to be insulted by her comments. Not just for himself, but for Marco too. But he didn’t feel angry.

 

“Whatever,” he muttered. He heard Bertolt’s muffled laughter and glanced over at him, surprised.

 

“That’s the closest thing to a compliment that I’ve ever from her,” he said, still smiling. Eren smiled too. Knowing that he was getting complimented by someone like Annie felt rather nice.

 

***

 

It had been at least a week since they had collected evidence from Thomas’s home. No one had come to identify neither Thomas nor Mina. Eren could only imagine why. He wasn’t sure about Mina, but Thomas had been a family man in high school, from what he could remember. He had met both of Thomas’s parents before, but no one had a way to reach them now. But now he was left, cold and alone on an autopsy table. Eren gritted his teeth and squeezed the pen in his hands. He also noticed a change in Marco. At first, Eren thought he was simply determined. He did everything as if it was of utmost importance. He would see Marco sprinting down the halls, thinking he’s off to a crime scene only to find out later that he was simply on a paper run. He couldn’t blame him though. He understood Marco’s want to occupy his mind. He grimaced and leaned back in his chair. He knew Marco knew how to handle himself, getting stressed out for him wouldn’t help anyone. He felt a buzz on his thigh and jolted. He reached into his pocket and read the text. It was a group bulletin.

 

**Attention: Due to security concerns, we are closing early. Leave paperwork in proper folders.**

Eren sighed. He wasn’t surprised. They had yet to find out how Thomas had been killed. What confused Eren was why they were implementing this now. It had been a little over a month since Thomas’s death and, aside from that day, no other security measure were so overtly put in place. Eren had a sinking feeling. He got up and worked on his desk. He would have to leave the building in thirty minutes or so. He was sure either Levi or Erwin would check to make sure everything was in order and he did not want to be chewed out over a messy desk. He stacked his papers and gathered the various drinks and half- eaten snacks that had accumulated. He glanced outside. It was only 6:50, and yet it looked like it was dark. He walked over to Armin’s desk.

 

“Hey, where’s Mikasa?” Eren asked. Armin set down his pen and leaned back to stretch.

 

“She’s at her desk,” Armin said. He let out a satisfied sigh as his back popped. Eren looked across the room and saw Mikasa heading toward them. He looked past her and saw that Jean, Marco, Connie and Sasha were heading to the elevator. Jean looked gloomy, more so than usual. He looked over at Marco and felt his heart sink. The usually exuberant man had a glazed over look in his eye. Eren looked away. When Mikasa reached them, she put her hand on Eren’s forehead.

 

“Are you sick?” she asked. He swatted her hand away.

 

“Yeah I’m fine just-“ He stopped himself and looked over at Marco one more time. Armin and Mikasa followed his gaze.

 

“He just needs time,” Armin said softly. Eren nodded. They walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby floor. No one had been able to park their cars in the garage, which had made parking a living hell. Eren didn’t know the exact details, but he had heard it was because of several busted pipes. Once the door opened they heard the commotion.

 

“Ma’am, I need you to leave the building,” a man said. Eren wasn’t sure who he was, other than that he was a veteran of the Recon Brigade. His voice was gruff, and though Eren had never heard the man speak before, he could sense the urgency in his voice.

 

“I need a cop,” the woman said. She was short, with brown shaggy hair and bulbous amber eyes.

 

“Mike, is there a problem?” Erwin’s voice came from behind the trio. Eren turned around to see Levi by his side. Mike gestured at the woman. There were several other officers walking through the lobby, some trying to simply by pass the woman. He noticed that Jean and Marco were close to the door. He saw the woman open her jacket.

 

“Get back!” He heard Levi’s warning just before the explosion.

 

 


End file.
